Kings take first step toward Cup

Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings shoots the game winning goal in overtime against Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils Wednesday. <b>Click on the photo </b> for more scenes from the Kings' Game 1 win.ELSA, GETTY IMAGES

Anybody with two eyes could see that the Kings, who had smoked Vancouver, St. Louis and Phoenix to get to their first Stanley Cup Final in 19 years, weren’t getting any freebies in Game 1 against the New Jersey Devils.

At least not until Justin Williams blindly wheeled during the overtime and didn’t actually spot Anze Kopitar breaking through the middle as much as he “felt” him — and the Kings had a 2-1 victory.

“Their D (Marek Zidlicky) kind of came down the wall on Dustin (Brown), and Drew (Doughty) was able to get the puck up the boards,” Williams said. “The other D (Bryce Salvador) was coming over to me.

“I felt Anze was there so I threw an area pass and hoped he was alone. I’ve played with him a long time. But if he wasn’t there, it would have gone to nobody. It was a no-lose situation.”

Kopitar, well in the clear of Dainius Zubrus, dragged his feet to stay onside, put Marty Brodeur on his belly and coolly slipped a backhander under the goalie’s splayed pads 8:13 into overtime.

Thus did the Western Conference champion Kings, outplayed through the final 30 minutes and overtime, remain in a no-lose situation on the road with an NHL record ninth consecutive away postseason victory.

They turned the Prudential Center silent a few seconds too late for Williams to hear Kopitar yelling for the puck while the Kings bench screamed advice to Williams, too.

“Don't know if he heard me or not,” Kopitar saqid. “He chipped it obviously perfect, right on my tape.

“A chance to finish it off in OT, you know, to face a world class goaltender like Marty, it's definitely a good feeling.”

The Kings have not had bad feelings of any consequence since March. Wednesday night the ice was chippy and the teams a little rusty, portending a carom-shot to ultimately send somebody home unhappy. Instead, Doughty, Williams and Kopitar combined on a thing of beauty that gave the Kings a working lead in the series.

Not only will they next have to check their stick curvatures, as Marty McSorley failed to do in the haunting, series-turning Game 2 in Montreal in 1993, but need to play better than this to win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup. But the Kings already shown capable of the discipline this series will require.

“You know, they don't give up a whole lot,” said Kopitar. “You have to be careful going through the neutral zone, that you don't make any turnovers, because they got some speedy forwards, some forwards obviously that can finish.

“You have to await turnovers and just make sure you make strong plays.”

The Devils outhit the Kings, 44-35, and blocked 15 shots to the the Kings' 8, Eastern Conference-style playoff hockey. But after the Devils matched Colin Fraser’s first period goal off superior backboards work by Jordan Nolan with an Anton Volchenkov rebound off Quick’s pads that went in off Slava Voynov, there were not a great number of superior chances.

Brodeur stacked the pads on Drew Doughty after a drop pass by Mike Richards up the slot. Mark Fayne missed a wide open net on a rebound after Jonathan Quick made a big stop on Peter Harrold. But the Devils were more the aggressors until it backfired on them, Zidlicky caught in no-man’s land on that fateful pinch.

“Yeah, we made a little bit of a bad read,” said Coach Pete DeBoer. “There were a couple decisions there.

“But we're playing to win the game, I don't make any apologies for that. You know, we made a mistake; they capitalized.”

Like a team on a roll. In the end, it really didn’t matter that Williams didn’t see Kopitar. A team 11-2 in the playoffs can’t see itself losing.

Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings shoots the game winning goal in overtime against Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils Wednesday. Click on the photo for more scenes from the Kings' Game 1 win. ELSA, GETTY IMAGES
Anze Kopitar of Kings celebrates with Justin Williams (14) after scoring the game-winning goal against the New Jersey Devils as Dainius Zubrus (8) looks on. ELSA, GETTY IMAGES
Jonathan Quick #32 of the Los Angeles Kings makes a save in front of Adam Henrique #14 of the New Jersey Devils during Game One of the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Prudential Center on May 30, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. JIM MCISAAC, GETTY IMAGES
Martin Brodeur #30 of the New Jersey Devils tends goal against the Los Angeles Kings during Game One of the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Prudential Center on May 30, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. BRUCE BENNETT, GETTY IMAGES
Marek Zidlicky #2 of the New Jersey Devils draws contact from Jordan Nolan #71 of the Los Angeles Kings during Game One of the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Prudential Center on May 30, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. PAUL BERESWILL, GETTY IMAGES
Jonathan Quick #32 of the Los Angeles Kings looks on after a missed shot by Mark Fayne #29 of the New Jersey Devils (not pictured) during Game One of the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Prudential Center on May 30, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. BRUCE BENNETT, GETTY IMAGES
Anze Kopitar #11 of the Los Angeles Kings shoots the game winning goal in overtime against Martin Brodeur #30 of the New Jersey Devils during Game One of the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Prudential Center on May 30, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. ELSA, GETTY IMAGES
Anze Kopitar #11 of the Los Angeles Kings celebrates with is teammates after scoring the game winning goal in overtime against the New Jersey Devils during Game One of the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Prudential Center on May 30, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. ELSA, GETTY IMAGES
Anze Kopitar #11 of the Los Angeles Kings shoots the game winning goal in overtime against Martin Brodeur #30 of the New Jersey Devils during Game One of the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Prudential Center on May 30, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. BRUCE BENNETT, GETTY IMAGES
Anze Kopitar #11 of the Los Angeles Kings celebrates with is teammates after scoring the game winning goal in overtime against the New Jersey Devils during Game One of the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Prudential Center on May 30, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. BRUCE BENNETT, GETTY IMAGES
A shot by New Jersey Devils' Anton Volchenkov goes in for a goal past Los Angeles Kings' Jonathan Quick during the second period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals Wednesday, May 30, 2012, in Newark, N.J. KATHY WILLENS, AP
New Jersey Devils' David Clarkson, center, moves in to celebrate with teammates Patrik Elias, right, of the Czech Republic, and Jacob Josefson, of Sweden, after Anton Volchenkov scored against Los Angeles Kings' Jonathan Quick, left, during the second period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals Wednesday, May 30, 2012, in Newark, N.J. KATHY WILLENS, AP
New Jersey Devils' Patrik Elias, right, of the Czech Republic, looks over his shoulder at a goal scored by teammate Anton Volchenkov against Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick during the second period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals Wednesday, May 30, 2012, in Newark, N.J. Kings' Willie Mitchell and Slava Voynov, of Russia, defend. Later in the game, officials changed the goal scorer from Elias to Volchenkov. FRANK FRANKLIN II, AP
New Jersey Devils' Patrik Elias, left, of the Czech Republic, chases Los Angeles Kings' Trevor Lewis during the second period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals Wednesday, May 30, 2012, in Newark, N.J. KATHY WILLENS, AP
A shot by New Jersey Devils' Patrik Elias, of the Czech Republic, goes in for a goal past Los Angeles Kings' Jonathan Quick during the second period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals Wednesday, May 30, 2012, in Newark, N.J. KATHY WILLENS, AP
Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick makes a save on a shot by New Jersey Devils' David Clarkson in the final minute in the third period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals Wednesday, May 30, 2012, in Newark, N.J. JULIO CORTEZ, AP
Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick stops a shot by New Jersey Devils' Stephen Gionta during the first period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals Wednesday, May 30, 2012, in Newark, N.J. Kings' Drew Doughty is at right. KATHY WILLENS, AP
Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick stops a shot by New Jersey Devils' Stephen Gionta during the first period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals Wednesday, May 30, 2012, in Newark, N.J. Kings' Drew Doughty is at right. KATHY WILLENS, AP
Los Angeles Kings' Dustin Penner, right, checks New Jersey Devils' Anton Volchenkov, of Russia, during the first period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals Wednesday, May 30, 2012 in Newark, N.J. Devils' Peter Harrold and Alexei Ponikarovsky, of Ukraine, are nearby. KATHY WILLENS, AP
Los Angeles Kings' Drew Doughty falls to the ice under teammate Anze Kopitar, of Slovenia, left, and New Jersey Devils' Dainius Zubrus, of Lithuania, during the first period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals Wednesday, May 30, 2012, in Newark, N.J. FRANK FRANKLIN II, AP
New Jersey Devils' Adam Henrique falls below Los Angeles Kings' Jarret Stoll during the first period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals Wednesday, May 30, 2012, in Newark, N.J. FRANK FRANKLIN II, AP
New Jersey Devils' Dainius Zubrus, left, of Lithuania, and Los Angeles Kings' Matt Greene struggle to reach the puck during the first period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals Wednesday, May 30, 2012, in Newark, N.J. KATHY WILLENS, AP
New Jersey Devils' Patrik Elias, right, of the Czech Republic, celebrates with teammate David Clarkson after scoring a goal past Los Angeles Kings' Jonathan Quick, left, during the second period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals Wednesday, May 30, 2012, in Newark, N.J. Kings' Slava Voynov, of Russia, stands next to Quick. JULIO CORTEZ, AP
New Jersey Devils' Dainius Zubrus, second from left, of Lithuania, tries to score against Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick and other Kings during the third period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals Wednesday, May 30, 2012, in Newark, N.J. FRANK FRANKLIN, AP2012 Stanley Cup: L.A. Kings vs. New Jersey Devils Best-of-7 schedule (all games start at 5 p.m.): Game 1, Kings 2, Devils 1 (OT); Game 2, June 2 at N.J.; Game 3, June 4 at L.A.; Game 4, June 6 at L.A.; Game 5, June 9 at N.J.*; Game 6, June 11 at L.A.*; Game 7, June 13 at N.J.*. *: If necessary.

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